he’d probably ordered them from
one of those catalogs where even the font on the cover looked expensive.
“That was Glenda
King.”
“What’s she up
to?”
“Oh, she
happens to be getting married in a few hours.”
Tyler’s mouth
dropped open.
“That was my
reaction, too.”
“Oh, Marci.”
Tyler reached for her.
“It’s fine.”
Marci hugged him.
“No, it’s not.”
She laughed.
That was why she loved Tyler. That amongst many other reasons. “No,” she admitted. “It’s not.”
They walked
back inside with Marci ranting about her Mom’s latest marital escapade. As
usual, Tyler made her feel justified in her tantrum. Friends like Tyler were
invaluable. She would’ve probably offered to pay their tab even if she won the
bet. But still. You couldn’t just buy friends. She didn’t want to end up like
Glenda King who still thought after all these years that it was possible to buy
off a daughter.
Chapter Six
Marci’s Monday
afternoon shift at the writing center started off slow, but it didn’t stay that
way. She was working on a paper of her own for a class because she’d finished
up her appointments for the day, and there’d been no walk-ins so far. All of a
sudden, Claudia, who was the only other volunteer on shift with her that
afternoon, ran over to her cubicle in the back of the writing center. There was
supposed to be a third tutor on their shift, but the third one had either
no-showed or was really late. They’d known not to expect the fourth tutor who
had called out without getting anyone to replace him.
“Claudia,
what’s going on? Calm down.” Marci capped her pen and sat back in her chair to
look up at the frantic Claudia.
“Sonya called,
and she has the flu. She’s feeling really awful. She can’t even get out of
bed,” Claudia said. Sonya was scheduled to be the third tutor. “She wants me to
go get her and take her to student health.”
“Okay,” Marci
said.
“I don’t have
any more appointments lined up, but Sonya has one that should be here in a few
minutes. I was going to take it, but maybe you could. Would you be okay here by
yourself?”
“I can handle
one appointment.”
“And walk-ins?”
“Sure. Besides,
I’m not alone. The receptionist and Professor Maren are here.”
“But you’d be
the only writing tutor here.”
“I’ll be fine.
Go. Take care of Sonya.”
Claudia smiled,
but she still looked worried. “Thanks.”
“Of course.
Poor Sonya. Now go before she passes out or something.”
“I’m gone,”
Claudia said before jogging over to her own cubicle, grabbing her purse, and
scooting out of the door.
And Marci might
have actually been fine if Sonya’s four o’clock appointment had been anybody else.
The first thing
Marci felt when she saw his face was embarrassment. The second was an
irrational anger. What the hell was he doing here? Had he tracked her down or
something?
When his eyes
landed on her, he paled, and his lips tightened. No smile today. And his eyes
didn’t have that welcoming, friendly shine to them they’d had on the other
occasions she’d seen him.
“I didn’t know
you volunteered here,” Owen said. The warm, cheery tone of voice was gone as
well.
She cleared her
throat, forced herself to remember that she was supposed to say something here.
“Yeah. I do.” She twisted her Dad’s class ring around on its gold chain out of nervous
habit.
“I had an
appointment with…Sonya.” He pulled out a planner and began rifling through its tatted
pages, looking down at it with a concerned frown. She couldn’t help but think
that the frown was kind of sexy. What was this? She was going to be into him
now that he wasn’t interested? She’d always liked a challenge, but damn. This
was crazy.
“Sonya’s sick,”
she said.
“I can wait for
someone else if that’s…better.”
“I’m the only tutor
left today,” Marci said.
“Damn,” he said
softly. “And my paper’s due
one of those catalogs where even the font on the cover looked expensive.
“That was Glenda
King.”
“What’s she up
to?”
“Oh, she
happens to be getting married in a few hours.”
Tyler’s mouth
dropped open.
“That was my
reaction, too.”
“Oh, Marci.”
Tyler reached for her.
“It’s fine.”
Marci hugged him.
“No, it’s not.”
She laughed.
That was why she loved Tyler. That amongst many other reasons. “No,” she admitted. “It’s not.”
They walked
back inside with Marci ranting about her Mom’s latest marital escapade. As
usual, Tyler made her feel justified in her tantrum. Friends like Tyler were
invaluable. She would’ve probably offered to pay their tab even if she won the
bet. But still. You couldn’t just buy friends. She didn’t want to end up like
Glenda King who still thought after all these years that it was possible to buy
off a daughter.
Chapter Six
Marci’s Monday
afternoon shift at the writing center started off slow, but it didn’t stay that
way. She was working on a paper of her own for a class because she’d finished
up her appointments for the day, and there’d been no walk-ins so far. All of a
sudden, Claudia, who was the only other volunteer on shift with her that
afternoon, ran over to her cubicle in the back of the writing center. There was
supposed to be a third tutor on their shift, but the third one had either
no-showed or was really late. They’d known not to expect the fourth tutor who
had called out without getting anyone to replace him.
“Claudia,
what’s going on? Calm down.” Marci capped her pen and sat back in her chair to
look up at the frantic Claudia.
“Sonya called,
and she has the flu. She’s feeling really awful. She can’t even get out of
bed,” Claudia said. Sonya was scheduled to be the third tutor. “She wants me to
go get her and take her to student health.”
“Okay,” Marci
said.
“I don’t have
any more appointments lined up, but Sonya has one that should be here in a few
minutes. I was going to take it, but maybe you could. Would you be okay here by
yourself?”
“I can handle
one appointment.”
“And walk-ins?”
“Sure. Besides,
I’m not alone. The receptionist and Professor Maren are here.”
“But you’d be
the only writing tutor here.”
“I’ll be fine.
Go. Take care of Sonya.”
Claudia smiled,
but she still looked worried. “Thanks.”
“Of course.
Poor Sonya. Now go before she passes out or something.”
“I’m gone,”
Claudia said before jogging over to her own cubicle, grabbing her purse, and
scooting out of the door.
And Marci might
have actually been fine if Sonya’s four o’clock appointment had been anybody else.
The first thing
Marci felt when she saw his face was embarrassment. The second was an
irrational anger. What the hell was he doing here? Had he tracked her down or
something?
When his eyes
landed on her, he paled, and his lips tightened. No smile today. And his eyes
didn’t have that welcoming, friendly shine to them they’d had on the other
occasions she’d seen him.
“I didn’t know
you volunteered here,” Owen said. The warm, cheery tone of voice was gone as
well.
She cleared her
throat, forced herself to remember that she was supposed to say something here.
“Yeah. I do.” She twisted her Dad’s class ring around on its gold chain out of nervous
habit.
“I had an
appointment with…Sonya.” He pulled out a planner and began rifling through its tatted
pages, looking down at it with a concerned frown. She couldn’t help but think
that the frown was kind of sexy. What was this? She was going to be into him
now that he wasn’t interested? She’d always liked a challenge, but damn. This
was crazy.
“Sonya’s sick,”
she said.
“I can wait for
someone else if that’s…better.”
“I’m the only tutor
left today,” Marci said.
“Damn,” he said
softly. “And my paper’s due
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